Walk The Line
Reviewer: Chris Hallam
Issue 78 June 2006
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Here’s Johnny…
The Lowdown: Music initially seems unlikely to ever be more than just a hobby for door-to-door salesman John R. Cash. But as his musical career grows more successful, the married Cash increasingly finds himself drawn to fellow singer June Carter, while also developing a self-destructive reliance on drink and drugs.
Review: Hmmm, let’s see. Does this sound familiar? It’s a biopic of an American singer who achieved phenomenal success but was almost defeated by drink, women and drugs. The singer (a seventy-something veteran) gave his official blessing to the movie shortly before expiring while it was still in production. And – oh yes – one of the leads gave a hugely acclaimed Oscar winning performance. In short, you might as well not bother watching this at all. The story’s exactly the same as last year’s Ray. In fact, you may as well skip this review altogether and seek out one for the earlier film.
But before you go, consider this – such a course of action would be foolish. While Walk The Line’s makers were doubtless silently gnashing their teeth when Ray with all its superficial similarities tried to stole their thunder, they needn’t have worried as this is undoubtedly the better of the two films. For one thing, the combination of music, sex and drugs was hardly a new one even when Ray came out. Indeed, until they make Bachelor Boy: The Cliff Richard Story, it’s almost compulsory for musical biopics to follow this pattern. For another, Walk The Line is not just a biopic of Johnny Cash, it’s first and foremost a love story.
That said, the film is strong long before Reese Witherspoon’s June Carter appears on the scene. Although often coming perilously close to looking like a standard TV movie biopic (Copland director Mangold’s pleasant but uninspired visuals don’t help), the film sustains interest even after the wonderful Folsom Prison opening gives way to the gentler, tragic drama of Cash’s impoverished Arkansas upbringing. Phoenix is great as the adult Cash, effectively portraying a man who initially showed little sign of being even a minor success in life, let alone achieving stardom.
Good as Phoenix undoubtedly is, it’s the arrival of June Carter that provides the film with its definitive boon, transforming a decent film into a potentially great one. Not only does the unusual looking but beautiful Witherspoon achieve a surprisingly strong physical resemblance to June Carter (who, like Cash, died in 2003) but also nails the singer in a dead-on performance. Superficially similar to Carter – both worked in showbusiness from early childhood and are widely recognised for their innate comic timing – Witherspoon richly deserved her Oscar. Along with her role as Tracy Flick in 1999’s Election, it’s her best performance to date.
Then there are the songs. Much has already been made of Phoenix and Witherspoon’s uncanny ability to recapture the magic of the original duo (Phoenix manages to drop a full octave below his usual vocal range) and the chemistry between the two is palpable in all of their scenes together.
So what about the special features? On the downside, Cash fans will be disappointed by the lack of genuine Cash and Carter music. You could also lament the relative absence of the two stars. The two do contribute to the second disc’s featurettes but, in Phoenix’s case especially, their appearances can be measured in seconds. Otherwise, it’s all good. Those less bothered by extras will be content with the £19.99 one-disc version, containing just the film, Mangold’s competent but sometimes dry commentary, 10 deleted scenes and the international trailer. Those prepared to fork out a fiver more will be treated to a selection of eight extended versions of the songs from the film and a range of featurettes on Cash, Carter and the film itself, featuring contributions from Mangold, Kris Kristofferson and Cash’s son. All are good, though never outstanding.
But overall this is a good package and one suspects that had they lived to see it, Johnny and June would have approved.
FILM: 8
EXTRAS: 7
DVD Info:
Certificate: 12
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Original Release: 2005
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 1.85 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 130 mins
Price: £19.99/£24.99
Special Features:
Disc One:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary with Director and Co-writer James Mangold
Deleted Scenes
Trailer
Disc Two:
‘Johnny Cash Jukebox’ Extended Musical Sequences
‘Folsom: Cash And The Comeback’ Featurette
‘Ring Of Fire: The Passion of Johnny and June’ Featurette
‘Becoming Cash/Becoming Carter’ Featurette
‘Celebrating The Man In Black – The Making of Walk The Line’ Featurette
‘Cash And His Faith’ Featurette
